Basic 6 Week Course SAD to GLAD 12 Week Course Advanced 6 Week Course Seasonal Courses Half Day Workshops Pot Luck Meals

As time passes since I began this journey of teaching whole foods cooking, I have become aware of so much conflicting information regarding "proper nutrition" and what is really healthy for each unique person.

Some of the issues causing mass confusion that arise in every course are:

• Should I stay away from all grains; what is the difference between whole grains and refined carbohydrates?
• Should I eat carbohydrates? Some books say that carbohydrates turn into sugar in the system and should be minimized. What is a complex carbohydrate?
• What is appropriate salt use? Some say don't use any salt, or is some quality sea salt necessary
  in our diets and why?
• Is gluten always bad for me? What is the problem with wheat and other glutinous grains anyway?
  If I am gluten sensitive what can I eat instead?
• Where do we get our calcium if we don't eat dairy?
• Is meat always bad for me? I seem to need some for energy?
• What about sweets? Are the healthy sweeteners such as rice syrup, maple syrup or dried & fresh fruit allowed
  as much as we like or should they be used in moderation?
• What about soy - some recent information puts down the soybean and soyfoods?
• I feel confused about the issue of raw food vs cooked food? Is one better or is there a way
  to achieve balance with both?

These are indicative of the many questions that come up for people making a dietary transition, and to further explain the type of information covered in the basic course taught at The Great Life Cooking School. The macrobiotic approach to life is more than just diet...it is looking at balance on many levels in one's lifestyle: Eating when hungry, drinking when thirsty, resting when tired, balancing work with relaxation, exercise with rest, socializing with solitude. Many of us are caught up in a hectic lifestyle and know now that it is the time to address our eating and cooking habits. We know intuitively that it is time to get this area of our life on track. Fortunately as this aligns many other things do as well. It is balance on all levels.

My aim in these courses is to ignite your spark for making a move towards balance and to learn to cook these vibrant and vital whole foods that are given to us by nature whole grains, vegetables, sea vegetables, beans and more... The goal is to gain a practical understanding of how to transform these foods into delicious and balanced meals leading to a new beginning towards health and vibrancy.

Through making the transition to whole foods, your own body and intuition will tell you moment-to-moment what are the right food choices for you. Understanding whole foods and how to cook them is the first step!

• Anyone who is interested in recovering their intuition and common sense knowledge about what to eat & how to cook to create health and happiness.
• Anyone who is currently eating a healthy diet but would like to expand on steamed veggies and rice to make whole foods delicious and varied.
• Anyone who has signs of low energy, lethargy or yo-yo mood swings, and they sense that it is due to an unbalanced diet.
• Anyone who has been diagnosed with some 21st century dis-ease and wants to begin the journey toward self-healing recognizing that diet is one important part of the big picture.
• Anyone who is a carer/cook for someone on a special diet (i.e. low-fat, diabetic, Pritikin, etc.) and would like to expand their cooking expertise.
• Anyone who would like to have some fun experimenting with new tastes and new foods in a playful yet informative way.

In this course, we will cover the basic foods of macrobiotic cooking and different ways of preparing them. This includes grains, vegetables, beans, soy products i.e. tofu , tempeh and miso, sea vegetables, sourdough bread, soups and naturally sweetened desserts.

We will also learn about the yin/yang qualities of different foods in order to balance them for optimum health of body/mind and moods.

We will learn to make a wide variety of grains, land and sea vegetables, sourdough bread and sourdough pancakes, tofu patties, delicious soups using miso, Mexican Beans, Chickpea Pate, Cous-cous Cake with Fruit Sauce and Apricot Mousse to name a few, plus several healing drinks. We will have a yummy meal, naturally, at the end of each class.

The course runs once a week for 6 weeks and each class lasts 2 1/2 hours. The cost for the six weeks is $320.

All ingredients will be organic and bio-dynamic unless unavailable. You will need to bring a bread tin for one of the lessons. You will also receive a notebook of notes and approximately 120 recipes.

Basic Course Dates:

AUGUST 20th, 2008
WEDNESDAY EVENINGS 6pm-8:30pm

OCTOBER 4th, 2008
SATURDAY MORNINGS 9:30am -12 noon

COST: $32o

An invitation to a transformational 12-week journey.

We will combine a 4-week transitional period into whole foods, 4 weeks on a personalized macrobiotic healing/centering diet and another 4 weeks integrating and returning to the standard macrobiotic way of eating that is comfortable for you. Careful instruction in cooking, meal planning, food selection as well as guidance in lifestyle changes based on ancient eastern principles of balance, harmony & simplicity. There will also be an initial consultation with each participant. It is not necessary to have completed the basic course, however it is helpful. Some people will find they want a longer time of learning, support and practice and can enter directly into this process.

• those who have been dabbling in whole foods but are now ready to create a solid foundation of balanced, healthy eating
• those who are dealing with any degenerative health condition and want to make a transition quickly and effectively
• those who are dealing with overloaded systems whether it manifests as excess weight or excess symptoms i.e. hayfever, allergies, digestive problems etc.
• those who want to learn to cook in the most simple and natural way without the need for excessive salt, oils or spices to create the most delicious, nutritious food ever!
• those who have completed Sahaja's basic course but want a more comprehensive experience of macrobiotic diet and lifestyle

This course costs $750 and includes an initial consultation with Sahaja. A consultation form must be filled out to attend the course, as well as keeping a food diary for a week prior to the session.

It runs for 3 hours once a week for 12 weeks. Ongoing notes and recipes are provided.

Follow-up dinners have been known to happen, organized by the students to keep up the support and comraderie that was established during the course.

For reflections of the first SAD to GLAD course
(from Newsletter Spring 2005) click here...

SAD to GLAD Dates:
MARCH/APRIL 2009 (dates to be announced)

COST: $750

In this follow-on course, we add to our basic skills by cooking entire meals week by week. We learn the basics of meal planning and efficient time/shopping tips to create a meal from soup to dessert in a reasonable amount of time. We combine wholegrains, beans and vegetables into delicious casseroles, mouth-watering quiches and savoury soups. We learn basic pastry skills dairy and wheat free. We cover a wide variety of vegetable dishes, including salads, suitable for the Australian climate. We expand on our desserts to include vegan cakes and pies. This course allows for the spontaneity and creativity of each group of participants to have flexibility in the daily meals. If someone has their Auntie Blanche's favourite lemon squares recipe, we'll learn how to convert that using more wholesome ingredients and sweeteners.

The cost for this course is $290 including all ingredients and notes and recipes.

This course runs once a week for six weeks and goes for 2 1/2 hours.

It is advisable to have completed the Basic 6-week course first, however exceptions can be made if someone already has the foundations. You will also receive weekly recipes of delicious whole food dishes.

Advanced Course Dates:
TBA

COST: $320

As the seasons change, it is necessary for us to adapt our food selections as well as our cooking styles. In the warmer weather, we use shorter cooking times, lighter cooking styles and perhaps a higher proportion of vegetables and fruits to whole grains. In cooler weather the proportions of wholegrains becomes higher, more root vegetables are used, and there are longer cooked dishes as well as stronger cooking styles.

The summer seasonal course will happen over 4 Saturday mornings.

Seasonal Course Dates:
November 22nd, December 6th, December 13th and December 20th (one week off November 29th)

COST: $240

An opportunity to come and share a meal with others making the change to healthy eating. Potlucks are traditional in macrobiotic communities all over the world, and we are starting our own traditions here in West Australia. It's a lovely opportunity to sample a variety of tasty dishes and each person prepares only one dish.

There is the opportunity to share experiences with others, browse through the library of books and have a celebration of whole and natural foods.

Sometimes people feel quite alone on their journey towards healthy eating - what does that say about the society we live in right now? An opportunity to see that you are not alone in your commitment to change is always supportive and inspiring.

It is necessary to book in as each person will be given a category from which to choose his dish i.e. a bean or a grain or a vegetable dish. That way we are guaranteed to get a wide variety and not just a table of noodle puddings (although that might not be too bad!)

TBA